CSEP directors taking on new challenges

Photo of Lisa Hood, Alicia Haller, Maureen Kincaid, and Erika Hunt

It’s the end of an era for the Center for the Study of Education Policy (CSEP). Co-directors Erika Hunt, M.S. ‘00 and Lisa Hood have collectively worked for the center for 36 years.

Hood and Hunt redefine principal preparation

In July 2014, Erika Hunt and Lisa Hood went to Washington, D.C., with former State Superintendent Chris Koch and IBHE Director James Applegate and former Director Harry Berman to accept the 2014 Frank Newman Award for State Innovation at the Education Commission of the States conference on behalf of the state of Illinois for the work around the new P–12 Principal Endorsement. (left to right) Harry Berman, former executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education; Brian Sandoval, Utah governor and chair of the Education Commission of the States; Erika Hunt; James Applegate, executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and Chris Koch, former state superintendent of the Illinois State Board of Education.

Lisa Hood and Erika Hunt, senior policy analysts and researchers for the Center for the Study of Education Policy, are redefining leadership development in P–20 education.

College of Education’s active external grant awards

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Below is a sample of the College of Education’s active grant awards. To view a more complete listing, please check out the full Annual Report and Findings publication (PDF).   Teacher Education and Assessment Continuum for High-need Educators and Resources + Principal Leadership in Urban Schools (TEACHER + PLUS) Project ($1,573,740). This grant builds upon and enhances

COE staff member comments on unrealistic standards for schools

Norm Durflinger, director of the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University, spoke to the Peoria Journal Star last month on the challenges of No Child Left Behind and the struggles of Peoria District 150. For 2011-2012, only five of the district’s 24 schools made adequate yearly progress (AYP) under NCLB.

Reuters: Jim Palmer on how recessions impact cost of higher education

Since their introduction in the United States, state universities have served as the foundation for higher and continuing education. However, economic downturns and state budgeting threaten the accessibility of these institutions. “In tough economic times, some people think it is easier to cut funding to higher education because it has a tuition revenue stream that

Funding fuels efforts to prepare principals

A $330,000 McCormick Foundation grant will empower Illinois State to help principals align early childhood education with elementary and secondary education. The University’s Leadership to Integrate the Learning Continuum (LINC) program will address principals’ lack of early education knowledge. According to a study commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, principals account for 25 percent of a